Shirt package and method of packaging



March 24, 1953 5 BLOOM 2,632,564

. SHIRT PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed May 7, 1951 ;a. g g I Patented Mar. 24, 1953 SHIRT PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Samuel M. Bloom, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application May 7,1951, Serial No. 225,032

9 Claims.

, 1 This'invention relates to a method of folding and packing mens shirts, and to a shirt package. In dry cleaning establishments which have a plurality of branch stores, and in large laundries servicing customers direct through route salesmen or servicing stores, mens shirts as well as other articles of wearing apparel are cleaned, fpressed and packed in accordance with mass production methods. Thi invention constitutes a mass production method of packing mens shirts, but the principles of this invention may also be applied to the packing of other articles of clothing, For purposes of illustration, however, this specification will be confined to a description of the present method insofar as it pertains to mens outer shirts. a a

Each shirt is identified in two respects: it bears the identification mark of the branch store or route man who receives it from the customer, and it also bears the identification mark of the customer himself. These two identification marks may be applied to a single tag which is affixed to the shirt. In many chain establishments, however, the tag bears only the identification mark of the branch store or route man, and the customers identification mark is applied to the inside of the collar by means of indelible ink. However, in many such stores a single tag may be used for both identifications. For purposes of illustration, the present invention will be described in terms of its application to the chain establishments last mentioned and branch store will be used to indicate any intermediate agency.

, At the end of a given period of time, say. at the end of a days business, all of the shirts which all of the branch stores have received during that period of time are shipped to a central laundry operated by the chain. No effort is made at the laundry to segregate the shirts until the completion of the Washing, drying, pressing and packing operations and the shirts are then segregated with respect to the branch stores which ship them and not with respect to the individual owners of the shirts. When the branch stores receive the shirts from the laundry, the shirts are arranged and then bundled in accord- :ance with the identification marks of the individual customers.

It is the principal objector this invention to providea method of folding and packaging mens shirts quickly and efficiently into compact packages wherein the identification marks of the branch store and of the individual customer are clearly visible. In the operation of this method, the shirtis folded :oyer upon a sheet of stiffening paper an itis also folded over upon itself.

These folding operations take place with the assistance of a folding plate or leaf in any of several conventional shirt folding machines, in the manner hereinafter described. At the conclusion of the folding operation, a suitable bag or envelope is slipped over the folded shirt before it is removed from the folding leaf. Windows are provided in said bag or envelope which register with the identification marks on the shirt so that said identification marks may be read without removing the shirt from said bag orenvelope.

I A corollary object of this invention is the provision of a packaged shirt, comprising the shirt itself, the paper insert on which the shirt is folded, and the bag or envelope which encloses the folded shirt, said bag being provided with the windows above mentioned. I

The present invention is important not only because it provides a superior method of folding shirts but also because it provides a superior pack-aged shirt and .further for the reason that it makes use of less eXpensive and more readily available materials than are conventionally employed -for shirt packaging purposes. Also this invention makes for a "considerable saving in labor. 'The conventional materials are a relatively stiff sheet of cardboard and a cellophane wrap or a bag made partly of cellophane. But these materials are both expensive and difiicult to obtain by reason of the present scarcityof materials for civilian use. Furthermore, the type of cardboard conventionally employed for shirt packaging purposes is relatively bulky and wasteful of valuable space. Besides, the cellophane wrap must be heat sealed, thus requiring additional labor.

The materials which are employed in connection with the present invention are the following: a relatively thin sheet of paper which takes the place of the cardboard and a bag of relatively thin, inexpensive, opaque paper which takes the place of the cellophane wrap or bag. When the thin sheet of paper is folded over upon itself in accordance with the present method, its folded edges provide a certain measure of stiffness, quite adequate for the purposes of the invention. The opaque bag is suitable for the purposes of this invention because of the windows formed therein, through which the identifying marks onthe shirt may beseen. The labor of handling the wraps and the heat sealing thereof are eliminated.

The method herein claimed is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig.1 is a perspective view showing a shirt spread out upon a folding table prior to the folding operation.

Fig. 2 shows a sheet of stiffening paper laid upon the back of said shirt and a folding plate laid over said stiffening paper.

Fig. 3 shows one sleeve and one side of the shirt folded over upon the folding plate.

Fig. 4 shows both sleeves and both sides of the shirt folded over upon the folding plate and showing the bottom of the shirt folded twice over upon itself, and a band extending around the folded shirt and holding it in folded condition.

Fig. 5 shows the folding plate swung upwardly and away from the folding table, thefolded shirt being still mounted upon said folding plate and an enevelope or bag being shown in process of being slipped over said folded shirt.

Fig. 6 shows the folded shirt mounted in said bag. v V

Fig. 7 is a back view-of the bag showing awindow formed therein through which a marking tag on the shirt may be seen without removing the shirt from the bag.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to that of Fig.7 showing a modified bag construction, wherein a flap is provided across the window to protect the shirt against soiling.

The drawing shows a conventional folding table I!) on which outer shirts such as shirt 12 may be folded. The first-step in theshirt-folding operationinvolves buttoning the shirt from top to bottom. In the second step, the shirt is placed upon thefolding table, front down and sleeves hanging overthe sides of the table. The collar I 4 of the shirt projects into the collarmolding cavity 16 and upon the collar-molder 18. In the next step of the folding process, a rectangular sheet 20 of stiffening paperis placed upon the back of the shirt in the manner shown in Fig. 2. Then the hinged folding plate '22 is swung forwardly and downwardly until it rests upon the stiffening paper and bears down upon said paper and upon the shirt. t The next step in the folding process involves folding one of the sleeves '24 upon itself and one of the sides 26 of the shirt upon said folded sleeve and upon the top of the folding plate. This is clearly shown in Fig. The same treat.- ment is accorded the other sleeve and the other side of the shirt. The next step involves folding the bottom 28 of the shirt upon itself .and then upon the two folded sides of the shirt .as Fig. 4 clearly shows.

It will be noted in Fig.5 that a transverse channel 30 is formed in the top of table l0. Disposed in said channel isa .plurality of bands .32, stacked one atop the other. A suitable adhesive 34 is applied to one end of each band, and it will be noted that both ends-of the bands project laterally beyond the side edges of the tape.

After the shirt is folded as shown in Fig. 4, the uppermost band 32 is folded over upon the shirt, the adhesive-coated end overlying the other end of the band so that both ends may be secured together. The folding operation is now complete and what remains isto enclose the folded and handed shirt in'a suitable envelope or bag 36 and to remove the shirt from the folding plate.

At the conclusion of the folding and banding operations, the folding plate is swung upwardly to the position which it is shown to occupy in Fig. 5. It willbe noted, of course, that the folded and banded shirt is still mounted uponthe $0M- 4 ing plate. Bag or envelope 36 is now slipped downwardly upon the shirt as Fig. 5 clearly illustrates. When the shirt is completely enclosed in the bag, it may be removed from the folding plate by simply slipping it off said plate.

Fi 6 shows the folded and banded shirt completely enclosed in the bag. The front of the shirt faces upwardly, and it is indicated in the drawing in dotted lines. Fig. '7 is a similar view showing the back of the bag and the back of the shirt, reference being here made particularly to the collar and upper back portion or yoke of the shirt. Since the lower portion of the shirt is folded backwardly, the lower front portion of the shirt overlies the back of the shirt as Fig. 7 clearly shows. It will be seen in Fig. '7 that -a marking tag ,38 is afiixed to that portion of the front of the shirt which is folded over upon the back of the shirt, A window 46 is formed in the back wall of bag 36 and the location of said window corresponds to the location of the marking tag on the shirt. Hence, said marking tag may be observed through said window without removing the shirt fromthe bag.

Bag 62 shown in Fig. 8 is similar in all respects to bag 36, except that it has a flap 44 normally covering its window 46. This flap covers that portion of the shirt which would otherwise be exposed through the window, and it thereby prevents soiling of that portion of the shirt. When it is desired to observe or examine the marking tag, the flap is simply lifted upwardly to expose the marking tag, and it may then be returned to its original position to resume functioning as a closure for the window.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the stiffening paper is folded over upon itself during the course and by reason of the folding operations which have above been described. It will be noted in Fig. 2 that two sides 20a, 28b of the stiffening paper project beyond the two side edges of the fold-ing plate. It will likewise be seen that the lower end 200 of the stiffening paper projects below the bottom end of said folding plate. Hence when the sleeves and sides of the shirt are folded over upon the folding plate as shown in Fig.3, the outwardly projecting sides of the stiffening paper are likewise folded over upon the folding plate. Similarly, when the bottom of the shirt is foldedbackwardly and upon the folded .sides of the shirt, the downwardly projecting portion of the stiffening paper is also folded backwardly together with the bottom of the shirt. The two side edgesZZa, 22b and the bottom edge 220 of the folding plate serve as guides or templates on which the folds last above mentioned are formed. The folded side and bottom edges of the stiffening paper provide .a stiffening action to help maintain the shape of the folded shirt.

The foregoing is illustrative of the invention, and it should not be deemed to constitute a limitation of the invention. Both the method and the package herein described may be modified in many respects within the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A method of folding shirts which comprises the following steps: buttoning the shirt, spreading the shirt out fiat, face downward, placing a sheet of paper on the back of the shirt below its collar, folding the arms of the shirt upon said paper, folding the sides of the shirt, together with the sides of the paper uponsaid sleeves, folding the bottom of the shirt, together with the bottom of the paper, upon said sides, placing a band around said folded shirt, and then enclosing said folded shirt in a bag.

2. A method of folding shirts'which comprises the following steps: buttoning the shirt by buttoning at least the collar button, spreading the buttoned shirt out flat upon a horizontal plane surface, face downward, placing a sheet of paper on the back of the shirt below its collar, folding the arms of the shirt upon said paper, folding the sides of the shirt, together with the sides of the paper, upon said folded sleeves, folding the bottom of the shirt, together with the bottom of the paper, upon said folded sides, and then placing a band around said folded shirt.

3. A method of folding shirts which comprises the following steps: buttoning the shirt by buttoning at least the collar button, spreading the buttoned shirt out flat upon a horizontal plane surface, the front of the shirt facing downwardly and the back of the shirt facing upwardly, placing a rectangular sheet of paper on the back of the shirt, centrally thereof, and immediately below the collar, folding the arms of the shirt upon themselves and upon said paper, folding the sides of the shirt, together with the shoulder ends of the arms and the sides of the paper, upon said folded sleeves, folding the bottom of the shirt, including the bottom of the folded sides thereof, together with the bottom of the paper, upon said folded sides, placing a band around said folded shirt, and then enclosing said folded shirt in a bag.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the folded sides of the shirt are brought into overlapping positions when they are folded over upon the sleeves of the shirt.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the folded sleeves and the paper, exclusive of its side and bottom edges, are held down flat prior to and during the operation of folding the sides of the shirt and the sides of the paper over upon the sleeves and also during the operation of folding the bottom of the shirt and the bottom of the paper over upon the folded sides of the shirt.

6. A method of folding and packing shirts, which comprises the following steps: buttoning the shirt, spreading the shirt out upon a horizontal surface, the front of the shirt facing downwardly and the back of the shirt facing upwardly, placing a rectangular sheet of paper on the back of the shirt, placing a folding plate upon said stiffening paper, folding the sleeves and sides of the shirt and the sides of the paper upon said folding plate, folding the bottom of the shirt and the bottom of the paper back upon said folded sides of the shirt, wrapping a band around the folded shirt, slipping a bag over the folded and banded shirt, and then slipping said bag-enclosed shirt off the folding plate.

7. A shirt package comprising a buttoned shirt whose sleeves and sides are folded over upon the back of the shirt, a sheet of stiffening paper being interposed between the back of the shirt on the one hand, and the folded sleeves and sides of the shirt on the other hand, the bottom of the shirt being folded over upon the folded sides of the shirt, a band encircling said folded shirt, and a bag enclosing said folded and banded shirt, the sides of said stiffening paper being folded over upon the main body of the stiffening paper, and

wherein the bottom of the stiffening paper is folded over with the bottom of the shirt upon the folded sides of the shirt.

8. A shirt package comprising a buttoned shirt whose sleeves and sides are folded over upon the back of the shirt, a sheet of stiffening paper being interposed between the back of the shirt on the one hand, and the folded sleeves and sides of the shirt on the other hand, the bottom of the shirt being folded over upon the folded sides of the shirt, a band encircling said folded shirt, and a bag enclosing said folded and banded shirt, a marking tag being secured to the shirt and a window being provided in the bag which registers with said marking tag to expose said marking tag to view.

9. A shirt package comprising a buttoned shirt whose sleeves and sides are folded over upon the back of the shirt, a sheet of stiffening paper being interposed between the back of the shirt on the one hand, and the folded sleeves and sides of the shirt on the other hand, the bottom of the shirt being folded over upon the folded sides of the shirt, a band encircling said folded shirt, and a bag enclosing said folded and banded shirt, a marking tag being secured to the shirt, a window being provided in the bag which registers with said marking tag to expose said marking tag to view, a flap being provided on said bag to cover said window and thereby to prevent soiling of the shirt through said window.

SAMUEL M. BLOOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,826,206 Farrelly Oct. 6, 1931 2,063,547 Gibbons Dec. 8, 1936 2,128,421 Lewenburg Aug. 30, 1938 2,383,132 Kohl Aug. 21, 1945 

